Artificial leg



(No Model.)

J. SGHMID.

. ARTIFICIAL LEG. No. 473.671. Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

WITNESSES: I INVENTOH M M 1 upper or thigh portion of my improved arti-MTED TATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SCHMID, OF EATONTOWVN, NEWV JERSEY.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

:EPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,671, dated April26, 1892. Application filed March 4, 1892. fierial No. 42 8,738. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN SCHMID, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Eatontown,in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Legs, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to an improved fastening for the thigh portion ofartificial legs, so that the lacing of the same can be dispensed withand a quick and convenient attaching and detaching of the artificial legbe produced; and the invention consists of a fastening de vice for thethigh portion of artificial legs, which comprises a strap provided withadjustable hooks that can be set to cause the thigh portion to fit moreor less snugly or easily to the thigh, and a pivoted connecting-rod bywhich the hooks arranged at one edge of the thigh portion are connectedwith the hooks on the strap of the other thigh portion, as will be fullydescribed hereinafter, and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation ofthe upper or thigh portion of an artificial leg with my improvedfastening device for the same. Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of thefastening device drawn on a larger scale and showing the samerespectively after connecting and in the act of connecting the parts ofthe upper or thigh portion. Fig. 4 is a detail view,d rawn on a stilllarger scale, of one of the adjustable hooks of my improved fasteningdevice.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the ficial leg. The said thighportion is provided with a fastening device that is composed of a strapa, that is attached thereto along one edge of the front opening, saidstrap being provided with adjustable hooks b b, and of a second strap d,that is attached to the thigh portion along the other edge and providedwith fixed hooks e,which are preferably made integral with the strap 6!,the adjustable hooks Z) of the strap 66 being connected with the hooks eof the strap cl by the interlocking rod f, that is pivoted at its lowerend to the strap d and adapted to engage the hooks of both straps a and61 when the parts are locked together for attaching the thigh portion Afirmly to the stump. The hooks b are arranged intermediately between thehooks e. The hooks b are made adjustable for the purpose of permittingthe adjustment of the thigh portion, so as to permit either a snug fitor a loose fit of the same to the stump,whereby the thigh portion A canbe readily adapted to the changing conditions of the stump. In somecases,when the stump is sore, it is preferable to have the thigh portionfit easily,while at other times it is preferable to have the same fitsnugly to the stump. For this purpose the strap a is provided withprojections having bent-over flanges which form keepers 1), into whichare inserted the recessed hooks Z), which are locked to the keepers bythe spring action imparted to the shanks of the hooks,which springaction is produced by making the adjustable hooks Z) of V shape, havingthe apex at the hook portion, and the shanks of which are made todiverge from the hook portion or apex, so that they exert a bindingaction on the keepers b. The outer edges of the shanks of the V-shapedhook I) are provided with recesses 'n, which are somewhat wider than thekeepers b, so that when the recesses are set to the keeper the hooks Z)are adjusted farther from or closer to the strap or, according as thekeeper engages the recesses which are nearer to or farther from the hookor apex. The free ends of the hookshanks are also bent up, the bent-upportions serving as handles m for taking hold of the hooks b by means ofthe finger. By pressing the free ends of the shanks together therecessed portions can be readily detached from the keepers, so that thehooks can be pushed forward or backward, according as the hook end is tobe adjusted nearer to or farther from the strap a. When the thighportion A is to be adjusted snugly to the stump, the hook ends areadjusted closer to the straps a,while if an easy fit of the thighportion is desired the hooks are adjusted farther away from the strap a.To produce the closing of the front edges of the thigh portion, thepivoted connecting-rod f is taken hold of at the upper end and is firstplaced in the lowermost ad justabie hook, after which it is placed intothe hooks e of the strap (Z, the upper end of the connecting-rod f beingthen moved over, so as to take the strap d along until the rod engagesthe other adj ustable hooks b of the strap a, as shown in Fig. 2, andproduces thereby the reliable interlocking of the fastening devicearranged at the front edges of the thigh portion.

For detaching the thigh portion the fastening device is disconnected inthe inverse order, which is accomplished like the fastening in a quickand easy manner, so that very little time is lost in applying andremoving the artificial leg from the stump. This is agreat convenience,as thereby the time consumed by lacing when attaching the thigh portionand the unlacing of the same when removing the same is dispensed withand an artificial leg obtained, the thigh portion of which can not onlybe adjusted to the varying conditions of the stump, but also applied toand removed from the same with great facility and speed.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A fastening device for the thigh portions ofartificial legs, composed of a strap attached to one edge of the thighportion and provided with hooks, a second strap attached to the oppositeedge of the thigh portion and also provided with hooks intermediatelybetween the hooks of the first strap, and a connectingrod pivoted to thelower end of the second strap and adapted to interlock with the hooks ofboth straps, substantially as set forth.

2. In a fastening device for thigh portions of artificial legs, thecombination,with a strap attached to one edge of the thigh portion, saidstrap being provided with keepers, of V- shaped spring-hooks havingrecesses at their outer edges, so as to be adapted to engage the keepersof the strap, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a strap attached to one edge of the thighportion of an artificial leg, said strap being provided with keepers, ofadjustable hooks having spring-shanks recessed at the outer edges so asto be adjusted in said keepers, a strap attached to the adjoining edgeof the thigh portion and provided with hooks intermediately between theadjustable hooks of the first strap, and a connecting-rod pivoted to thelower end of the second strap and adapted to interlock with the books ofboth straps, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in pressence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN SOHMID. WVitnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, MARION HALL.

